MVSU Cuts Women’s Soccer, Adds Flag Football Program to Boost Collegiate Women’s Athletics
✨ Coach, Parents & Player Tips
Coach’s Clipboard: Start your session with a 20-second mirror drill: two players face off and copy each other’s shuffles, cuts and bursts to ramp up reactive footwork, core stability and (bonus) spark a few good laughs before diving into X’s and O’s.
Postgame Parents: On game-day morning, slap three time‐stamp stickers on your kid’s water bottle—home, car, field—and dare them to finish each sip by its mark; you’ll lock in hydration, tame the jitters, and they’ll hit the grass like a well-oiled, giggling machine.
Players Snap: Pick a “Fun Marshal” each practice to cook up a goofy post-drill ritual—push-up dance-offs, snack relays, whatever—and watch how laughing together off the field makes you fight harder on it.
🔎 Feature Story
🏅 MVSU cuts the women’s soccer program and adds flag football
Mississippi Valley State University has realigned its athletics department by discontinuing women’s soccer and introducing women’s flag football and club golf to optimize resources and expand student-athlete opportunities. Adding flag football—a sport headed for its 2028 Olympic debut—positions MVSU at the forefront of emerging collegiate athletics and enhances recruitment potential.
“This realignment reflects a strategic vision that allows us to reinvest in emerging sports and create more opportunities for students to compete and thrive.”
🌍 Regional Roundup
Kansas: Interest in girls’ flag football is driving the launch of pilot varsity programs in Wichita-area high schools, as the sport gains official recognition in nearly a dozen states and more districts evaluate offerings.
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Detroit: Speak Detroit Youth Sports reports that an NFL Flag Football League will soon debut in the city, expanding local youth opportunities and establishing a new grassroots competition platform.
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Illinois (Decatur): Millikin University will introduce a women’s flag football program for the 2026–27 season under Coach Joan Catanese, marking the institution’s latest effort to broaden female athletic participation.
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New York: Dominican University New York has announced women’s flag football as its 20th varsity sport, set to debut in spring 2027, joining six other Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference members ahead of potential NCAA Emerging Sport recognition.
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⭐ Player Spotlight
Joan Catanese – Head Coach, Millikin University Women’s Flag Football. Catanese is leading the brand-new Women’s Flag Football program for the 2026–2027 season, leveraging her 23 years of athletic and coaching experience to develop young women as leaders on and off the field.
“I want people to be like, that’s our flag football team,” Catanese said.
📈 Flag Growth Focus
🔥 Kentucky Inclusion Kickoff
Despite rainy conditions, Winchester hosted the Special Olympics Kentucky state flag football “Super Bowl,” uniting athletes and volunteers in a showcase of teamwork and community spirit. This event highlights how tailored flag football programs are expanding opportunities and fostering inclusion for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
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🔥 Illinois Girls’ Flag Surge
Mahomet‐Seymour High’s inaugural girls’ flag football team achieved a remarkable 9–5 record in its first season, building a 27-player roster and securing a regional playoff berth despite limited experience. Their rapid success underscores the sport’s growing adoption at smaller schools and the expanding footprint of girls’ flag football in Illinois.
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⚡ FlagSnap Daily Blitz
Imperial High’s girls’ flag football team defeated Clairemont 26-20 in overtime on a senior QB-to-receiver touchdown to advance to the Division III semifinals.
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Fourth-seeded Vincent Memorial High edged Granite Hills 39-33 in a CIF D-II quarterfinal thriller, powered by QB Azul Trujillo’s 401 passing yards and a two-point conversion rush.
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Brawley Wildcats blanked Ramona 39-0 in the CIF-San Diego D-III quarterfinals behind sophomore QB Tasia Mejia’s four touchdown passes and junior Evelyn Murrieta’s first-half pick six.
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Orestimba High routed Gridley 35-6 in the Sac-Joaquin Section first round as Salece Machado scored three touchdowns and Hailey Starr threw three more to reach the quarterfinals.
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Central-Phenix City extended its national winning streak to 52 games and retained the No. 1 spot in the final AL.com Class 6A/7A poll as the Alabama playoffs kicked off.
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Chandler Hamilton (AZ) remained the state’s only undefeated girls’ flag football team at 16-0 and secured the Week 7 top spot in The Arizona Republic’s poll after consecutive shutouts.
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Senior wingback/DB Colby Cook of Central-Phenix City was named AL.com Flag Football Player of the Week and announced she’ll play Division I soccer at Lipscomb University.
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Spanish Fort two-time AL.com Player of the Week K.C. Slaton earned her second nod after leading her team to a Week 9 shutout victory.
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Vestavia Hills’ defense, ranked second in the final Class 6A/7A poll, secured 13 shutouts and allowed just 25 total points heading into December’s championships.
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Moody High closed its regular season at 17-3 to clinch a Class 1A/5A playoff bid—matching last year’s runner-up finish and setting up a rematch with Montgomery Catholic.
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🏁 Final Whistle
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation.”
— John Wooden
